霹雳薹草 pi li tai cao

Carex dunnii Hayata; C. prainii C. B. Clarke (1904), not Kükenthal (1903); C. setulifolia Nelmes; C. tatewakiana Ohwi; C. tonkinensis Franchet.

Rhizome stout, woody. Culms central, 30-120 cm tall, ca. 2 mm thick near base, trigonous, with several nodes, clothed at base with shortly bladed or bladeless dark purple-red sheaths disintegrating into fibers. Leaves basal or cauline, some overtopping culm, blades broadly linear, 4-12 mm wide, stiff, flattish, leathery; cauline leaves rather long, sheathing, dark brown, membranous, pale greenish and black-brown veined abaxially. Lower involucral bracts leaflike, longer than inflorescence, long sheathing, upper involucral bracts glumelike. Inflorescence an interrupted panicle, 30-40 cm, with 3-6 partial panicles, partial panicles 2-5 cm, lower ones single or binate, upper ones binate or occasionally ternate, each bearing 3-7 sessile spikes, lower ones with long peduncles; spikes bisexual, androgynous, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 1.5-3 cm, male part 1/3-1/2 length of spike. Female glumes pale or slightly brown, broadly ovate to oblong, 2.2-4.5 mm, membranous, 1-veined costa excurrent into a short awn 1-1.5 mm, apex acute to subobtuse. Utricles longer than glume, obovate-elliptic or ovate-fusiform, trigonous, 4.5-6 mm, herbaceous, hispidulous above, many veined, gradually tapering at both ends, beak conic, 1-2 mm, hispidulous or glabrescent, obliquely truncate at hardly 2-toothed orifice. Nutlets dark brown, tightly enveloped, obovate-elliptic, trigonous, 2.5-3 mm, faces concave; style erect, sparsely hispidulous, base slightly thickened; stigmas 3. Fl. and fr. Jul-Oct.

Shady and moist places in forests; 700-1800 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam].